After 19 seasons, Maharashtra’s Ankit Bawne is still alive and chasing the Indian dream

He swept Arjun Sharma of service to the boundary with his left arm, removed his helmet and roared. Ankit Bawne aimed his bat at someone in the dressing room and celebrated his hundred with an intensity reminiscent of Virat Kohli. It was the opening day of the new Ranji Trophy season and the 33-year-old batsman from Maharashtra had just scored his 25th first-class century. He had celebrated hundreds before, but this one meant a little more. After a season that left him questioning his place in the game, Bawne had something to prove, if only to himself.

The weather was pleasant at the Air Force Cricket Ground in Palam, Delhi, but the conditions were hardly conducive to free-flowing batting. The ball was kept low, the pitch offered uneven bounce and the experienced Services bowlers made life difficult for Maharashtra. Every ten minutes, planes from the nearby Indira Gandhi International Airport flew overhead, their engines drowning out the sounds of cricket. Through it all, Bawne remained composed, picking up singles and resisting the temptation to force the pace. However, when he finally got to three numbers, the emotions poured out.

Ranji Trophy 2026-27: Summary of Day 1

Maharashtra finished the opening day on 287 for fivewith Bawne contributing an unbeaten 105. Prithvi Shaw provided the initial impetus with a brisk 70, but it was Bawne who provided Maharashtra with a strong platform despite the difficult conditions. It was more than a good start to the new season for a batsman who spent nearly two decades traversing the domestic circuit. It was a reminder of why he stayed. 1. Ankit Bawne celebrates his 25th first-class century against Services in the Ranji Trophy. (Photo: Akshay Ramesh)

“The emotions are definitely there,” Bawne said after the day’s play.

“First of all, it’s a Ranji set, which is very special. This is my 25th hundred, so it’s even more special for me. Also, my previous season didn’t go too well. I don’t think I even scored about 100 total runs. So I was hungry to prove a point, not for the team or anybody else, but to prove to myself that I belong at this level?”

For someone who had amassed 8,466 runs in 131 first-class matches before the new season, the questions may seem surprising. Bawne scored in nearly 20 years of senior cricket, played in the Duleep Trophy and the Irani Cup and led India A before the Covid-19 pandemic. Still, the tough season unsettled him in a way that years of success hadn’t prepared him for.

Last season, Bawne captained Maharashtra in the Ranji Trophy. This time he started the campaign without a captain, with Shaw leading the side in the absence of Ruturaj Gaikwad, who was away on India A duty. The change in management was not the only difference. Bawne had the worst season of his career, scoring just 72 runs in seven matches. His first-class average, which remained around the 50 mark, fell below it. For a batsman used to finding answers in the middle, the sudden inability to score was hard to understand.

“There are certainly lessons,” he said. “In cricket, if you don’t do well one year, it’s your turn the next year. You have to show up. It’s not like if I’ve played well for 18 years, I’m going to play for 30 years. You have to come in every day and do well.”

Bawne was particularly hard on himself. He knew that the opportunity to play first-class cricket was expensive, especially for a player who could not afford to let a handful of innings slip away. He had no explanation for the slump, but he knew it wouldn’t help to dwell on it. Instead, he looked back at what he had already accomplished and tried to convince himself that he could do it again.

“I thought, ‘I’ve scored 24 hundred, fifty 50 before, so why can’t I do it now?'” he said. “I trained hard with a lot of mental toughness so that not a single move went wrong this time.

An elbow injury in June forced him to abandon the routine of competitive cricket. In retrospect, the hiatus offered him something he desperately needed: time to reset. There were no match-day pressures, no immediate demands to score and no distraction from the task of getting his bat back in order. Bawne returned to the nets in Pune, booked a pitch and took the bowlers with him. He worked without a personal batting coach, relying on his experience and lessons learned over the years.

In the two months leading up to the new season, he estimates he faced 20,000 to 25,000 balls in practice. He wanted to correct the technical and tactical errors that had crept into his game, prepare for different types of bowling and ensure that he was ready for the demands of the Ranji Trophy.

“I just wanted to play and fix the technical mistakes or game plan mistakes I made last year,” he said. “With my experience and temperament, when I play, I score runs. I just didn’t want to repeat last year’s mistakes of leading the side and getting caught in tricky situations with just five innings. I’m much more relaxed and in my zone this time.”

DUST COVERED MY BAT: BAWNE

This preparation was guided by a specific goal. Bawne was looking to score a hundred in Maharashtra’s first match of the new season. It was a modest-sounding ambition for someone with 24 first-class centuries, but it carried the weight of the season’s frustration. He imagined the shifts night after night, trying not to leave anything to chance.

“Last year my bat was dusty because I didn’t play enough, but this year I made sure I didn’t leave anything to chance,” he said.

“Getting a point and getting that hundred gives you that distinct alive feeling. That’s what I’ve been practicing for the last 60-70 days and visualizing every night.”

That feeling of being alive in the game was central to his celebration at Palam. Asked if pointing the bat towards the dressing room was intended as a message to his critics, Bawne dismissed the suggestion. He had nothing to prove to anyone else, he insisted. The celebration was about the satisfaction of having prepared for a challenge and accomplished it.

“I’m just still alive, playing and performing,” he said. “There was no arrogant or rude message behind it.

‘EVEN VIRAT KOHLI HAD SNAPS’

Bawne has been around long enough to understand how quickly the domestic game can move on. He made his first-class debut for Maharashtra shortly after turning 15 and the belief in him at such a young age remains something he cherishes. His parents also supported him in a career that often kept him away from home. His father, a retired irrigation engineer, and his mother, a housewife, watched him navigate the highs and lows of professional cricket. Bawne, an only child, credits them with helping him keep perspective when his own expectations threaten to overwhelm him. 7. Ankit Bawne scored over 8,400 first-class runs in a career spanning nearly 20 years. (Photo: Akshay Ramesh)

Even during last season’s struggles, his father resisted the urge to criticize.

“Dad didn’t say anything harsh,” Bawne recalled.

“He just said, ‘It’s okay, Yuvraj Singh and Virat Kohli also had a slump, even Sachin Tendulkar had a slump, so don’t think about it.’ I tend to take things hard, but their support keeps me calm.”

The advice was simple, but it helped. Bawne went back to basics: work hard, stay dedicated and keep things simple.

Some of these principles also came from his time in the India A setup, where he spent two years around Rahul Dravid in 2017 and 2018. Bawne remembers Dravid as someone who carried himself without arrogance and was always willing to share his experiences. Their talks reinforced the value of batting according to the demands of the format rather than chasing the pace of the shorter game, especially in the day and age of lucrative contracts in the Indian Premier League.

“His constant advice was just to stay in the crease, stand firm and score,” Bawne said.

“Whenever I felt like shooting or rushing because of the pressure of the IPL, he instilled in me the value of situational batting in terms of the format.

WE STILL DREAM OF CALL-UP INDIA

However, the call-up to India remains one milestone missing from Bawne’s career. It is a familiar frustration in a country where the battle for places is relentless and where even years of prolific domestic batting cannot guarantee an opportunity at the top level.

Bawne never made a secret of his ambitions, but he learned to separate the goal from decisions beyond his control.

“One hundred percent yes,” he said when asked if he still dreamed of playing for India.

“If I score 1,000, 1,200, 1,400 runs, why am I not selected? Otherwise there is no logic. Even if I score 900 and hit a double hundred in the Ranji final to win the trophy for Maharashtra, you have to think positively.”

He knows that the choice is not in his hands. What he can control is the work he puts in and the runs he scores. After nearly 20 years in the domestic game, he’s not ready to let disappointment dictate how he approaches his next innings.

“If I keep thinking negative that I’ve been playing for 20 years and India hasn’t called me, my mind is negative even before I play,” he said. “I’m very happy where I am, but my goal remains to score as much as possible and help the team open the door.”

It’s also a challenge to stay motivated at an age when many cricketers are starting to think about life outside the game. However, Bawne sees the Ranji Trophy as a test that continues to demand everything from him. Away matches in particular require adaptability, preparation and patience, often on unfamiliar pitches and against opponents who know their home conditions inside out. For him, this challenge is still compelling.

“If 42-year-old players can win the Ranji Trophy last year, why can’t I at 34?” he asked. “I still have a lot to achieve.

A hundred against Services doesn’t guarantee the season will go the way Bawne hopes. One innings cannot erase the disappointment of the previous campaign, nor will it resolve the question of whether he will ever play for India. However, it gave him the start he had been preparing for for two months and the assurance that he can still produce the innings he expects of himself.

On a difficult pitch at Palam, with the noise of planes criss-crossing the ground, Bawne remained patient, circling the ball and waiting for his moment. When the hundred came, the celebration was unbridled. After a season in which he questioned whether he still belonged, he answered the question in the most familiar way at his disposal: running.

– The end